Peterson Links Cramping to High Creatine Doses at Kansas

Darryn Peterson, a top prospect for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, revealed that high doses of creatine caused the severe cramping that sidelined him for 11 games during his freshman season at the University of Kansas in 2025-26.

The 19-year-old guard, who had never used the muscle-building supplement before college, experienced his most frightening episode in September during a preseason boot camp. Peterson described full-body cramps so intense that medical staff struggled to insert an IV for hydration. "I made it to the training room and just started begging them to call 911," he told ESPN. "They were trying to get a vein to get me back hydrated. But I was cramping so hard they couldn't get a vein. I thought I was going to die on the training room table that day." He was transported to a hospital by ambulance.

Postseason bloodwork identified the issue: Peterson's baseline creatine levels were already elevated, and the initial high-dose "loading" phase pushed them to unsafe levels, according to doctors. The cramping persisted sporadically through the season, forcing him to miss games and exit others early, including a matchup against BYU's AJ Dybantsa on January...